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One day, in a very tiny apartment in NYC, my sister and I were enjoying a fabulous piece of fresh lemon meringue pie. Savoring each bite, we thought "It couldn't get better than this!" The tangy lemon filling, contrasted by the sweet meringue top, finished off by the flaky buttery crust. Suddenly an idea popped in our heads...the only way this could be ANY better was if it were FROZEN!! Genius! It might be a Barnett thing, but the rule is, (almost) any dessert is better frozen.

Meanwhile, take a 9 x 9−inch pan and cover the bottom with parchment paper and overlap on all edges (this will make taking the bars out the pan easy). Take the dough out of the fridge and press it into the bottom of the foil lined pan till it covers the bottom. Bake 20 minutes till lightly golden.

In a small bowl, whisk egg yolks, stir in small amount of the hot cornstarch mixture until blended; slowly pour egg-yolk mixture back into the hot cornstarch mixture in the saucepan, stirring rapidly to prevent curdling (no scrambled eggs!). Place saucepan over low heat and cook, stirring constantly, about 4 minutes, until thick. Remove from heat and stir in butter, lemon juice and peel. Pour into cooled pie crust.

In a small bowl, with mixer at high speed, beat egg whites, cream of tartar and a pinch of salt until soft peaks form when beaters are lifted. Gradually sprinkle in remaining 1/2 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons at a time, beating until sugar has completely dissolved and the egg whites stand in stiff peaks when beaters are lifted.

Spread meringue over filling to the edge of the crust (meringue shrinks when cooked). Swirl the meringue with the back of a spoon to make an attractive top. Bake 10 minutes, until meringue is golden. When pie is cool, place in freezer. When ready to serve, take the foil out of the pan and cut into bars.

Notes:

*Best Pie Crust in The World Makes 1 Pie Crust (I usually make a few batches at a time and freeze them. They freeze great!)